CallNote vs Claras at a glance
| Feature | CallNote | Claras |
|---|---|---|
| Records audio or video | No, never | Records or uploads your meeting, then transcribes |
| Sends a bot to the call | No | Records or uploads (no visible meeting bot) |
| How it gets the transcript | Receives the transcript your system already made (paste, upload, email-in, Microsoft Teams, Dialpad, Aircall) or a voice memo you dictate | Processes the recording you make or upload |
| Data residency | Data stored in Australia (AWS Sydney). The AI model that writes the note is run by a provider outside Australia | Australia (data never leaves Australia) |
| Privacy handling | Never used to train AI models; AES-256 encrypted | Redacts PII before AI processing; Australian Privacy Principles |
| Built for | Australian client-facing professionals (brokers, financial advisers, lawyers, accountants) | Australian financial advisers |
| Key integrations | Transcripts in from Dialpad, Aircall and Microsoft Teams. Notes out to HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Clio, plus Slack, Notion and Zapier. No Xplan connection | Microsoft Teams, Outlook and Word. Xplan by downloading a Word copy to file against the client, with emailing to the client's Xplan filing address on request. Salesforce, SharePoint and OneDrive on request |
| Compliance features | Append-only audit log, SHA-256 sealed notes, per-state consent scripts, General + NCCP + custom templates | SOC 2 certified, Australian Privacy Principles, PII redaction |
| Phone-call support | Yes (Dialpad connector live, voice memo, paste) | Accepts phone recordings (upload) |
| Pricing (AUD, October 2026) | Solo $149/mo, Team $99/seat/mo | Unlimited $139/mo per adviser ex GST, PAYG $50/mo for 4 notes |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card, unlimited notes | All plans include a free trial, no credit card |
Which one to choose
When Claras is the better choice
- You want the tool to capture the meeting for you. Claras records or lets you upload the recording, so you do not need a transcript from somewhere else first. CallNote is deliberately transcript-only and never touches audio.
- You want a product built only for financial advisers. Claras is an established adviser tool, and its site describes drafting Statements of Advice, Records of Advice and fact finds from your meetings. CallNote does not draft advice documents.
- You file in Xplan. Claras describes a Word copy ready to file against the client in Xplan, with emailing to the client's Xplan filing address on request. CallNote has no Xplan connection, so the note goes across by copy and paste or as a PDF.
- You prefer pay-as-you-go for low call volume. Claras starts at $50/month for 4 notes, which suits anyone who only writes a handful of file notes a month.
When CallNote is the better choice
- You do not want any tool handling your audio. CallNote receives a transcript that already exists and never records, uploads or transcribes a call. That is true whether you are an adviser, a broker, a lawyer or an accountant.
- You work across phone, Zoom, Teams and email-in, not just one channel. The Dialpad and Aircall connectors turn every call transcript into a note, and you can also forward a transcript by email or upload a voice memo.
- You want templates you shape to your own file. CallNote ships a neutral General template as the default, an NCCP loan-suitability template for brokers built on the s130 'not unsuitable' standard, and a build-your-own option (so an adviser can shape it to an SOA or fact-find context).
- You want per-state recording-consent scripts. CallNote includes read-aloud consent scripts for all 8 states and territories, which matters when recording law differs by jurisdiction.
- You want a sealed, defensible record. Published notes are SHA-256 sealed, timestamped and append-only, so an amendment is logged rather than overwriting the original.
- You work across more than one sector. CallNote fits advisers, brokers, lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers and recruiters alike, rather than being tied to one vertical.
If you are an Australian professional comparing CallNote and Claras, here is the short version: they are both built in Australia, both store your data in Australia, and both turn a client conversation into a written file note. The difference is in how they get the words, and who each one is really for.
Claras is an established tool for financial advisers, built by Knkt Digital. CallNote is a transcript-only note tool for Australian client-facing professionals, including financial advisers, mortgage brokers, lawyers and accountants. So if you are an adviser, CallNote fits you too. This is an honest comparison, not a takedown. Claras is genuinely good at what it does. The point of this page is to help you work out which job you are actually trying to do.
The real difference: recording vs receiving a transcript
This is the one thing that separates the two tools, so it is worth getting right.
Claras records or uploads your meeting, then transcribes it and writes the note. In practice you either let it capture the meeting or you upload a recording, and Claras does the rest. It redacts personal information before the AI processes it, which is a sensible privacy step.
CallNote works the other way around. It never records, never sends a bot to the call, and never transcribes audio. It receives a transcript that already exists, for example the one your phone system or meeting platform produced, and generates the note from that. You get the transcript into CallNote in several ways that are live today: paste it in, forward it by email to a unique address, dictate a voice memo after a meeting, or connect Dialpad, Aircall or Microsoft Teams so each transcript becomes a note automatically.
Both store your data in Australia
This is where the two tools actually agree, and it is a real strength for both. A lot of the well-known note takers (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Granola) are hosted in the US. For an Australian broker or adviser handling client financials, that can be a problem before you even look at features.
Claras states that your data never leaves Australia and holds SOC 2 certification, with Australian Privacy Principles handling and PII redaction before AI processing. CallNote stores your data in Australia (AWS Sydney), is AES-256 encrypted, and is never used to train AI models. One honest note on CallNote: data is stored in Australia, but the AI step that writes the note runs through a provider outside Australia. Our Security page lists each provider and where it is. So on data storage, you can pick either with confidence, and the rest of the decision comes down to the workflow around it.
Who each one is built for
Claras is built specifically for financial advisers and it shows in the right places. It is established, and its site now describes drafting Statements of Advice, Records of Advice and fact finds from your meetings as well as file notes. For Xplan, its integrations page describes downloading a Word copy ready to file against the client, with emailing finalised copies to the client's Xplan filing address available on request. That is a file-it-yourself route, not a direct Xplan export. If you want a tool that records or uploads the meeting and is shaped entirely around adviser workflows, that is a strong reason to choose Claras.
CallNote serves advisers too, alongside any Australian client-facing professional: mortgage brokers, lawyers and conveyancers, accountants, insurance brokers and recruiters. It is not locked to one vertical. It ships a neutral General template as the default, an NCCP loan-suitability template for brokers, and a build-your-own option you can shape to your own file (for example an adviser SOA or fact-find structure). That means what is in the box works across sectors:
- A neutral General template as the default, plus an NCCP loan-suitability template that uses the s130 'not unsuitable' standard with a broker declaration, plus build-your-own for any other file format.
- Per-state recording-consent scripts for all 8 states and territories, because recording-consent law is not the same in NSW as it is in Victoria or Queensland.
- An append-only audit log and SHA-256 sealed published notes, so a published note cannot be quietly changed later. Amendments are appended and logged.
So the honest framing is not advisers vs brokers, it is one architecture choice. If you want the tool to record or upload the meeting for you, Claras wins that point, and it goes on to advice documents, which CallNote does not. If you would rather no tool ever touched your audio, you work across phone, Zoom, Teams and email-in, and you want a sealed file note with templates you shape yourself, CallNote fits, and that holds whether you are an adviser, a broker, a lawyer or an accountant.
How you write the note
Both tools follow the same basic loop: a conversation goes in, a structured note comes out, you check it, and you save it. With CallNote the action language is Generate, Review, Publish. You generate the note from the transcript, review and edit the draft, then publish it so it becomes the sealed record. The whole thing takes about two minutes and saves roughly 10 minutes of write-up per call.
CallNote also lets you build your own prompt and house style rather than fitting yourself into one fixed template. If your file notes have a particular structure your licensee expects, you can shape the output to match it. Claras leans on its adviser-specific structure, which is exactly what a lot of advisers want, so again this comes back to which job you are doing.
Pricing, honestly
All figures here are AUD and were read on each site on 12 October 2026, so check both sites for the latest before you decide.
Claras pricing (according to their site): a pay-as-you-go plan at $50/month for 4 notes, and an Unlimited plan at $139/month per adviser, with assistant seats at $39/month, both excluding GST. Its pricing page lists file notes, so ask which plan covers the advice documents. The pay-as-you-go option is handy if you only write a few notes a month.
CallNote pricing: Solo is $149/month flat (or $127/month billed annually), and Team is $99/seat/month (or $84/seat annually). Every plan includes unlimited notes, and there is a 14-day free trial with no credit card. See the full breakdown on the pricing section.
If your volume is low, Claras pay-as-you-go is cheaper to start. If you write notes after most of your calls, CallNote's flat unlimited pricing tends to work out better, and the free trial lets you check that against your real call load before paying.
So which one should you pick?
Pick Claras if you want a tool that records or uploads the meeting for you. It is established, AU-hosted and adviser-specific, its site describes SOA, ROA and fact find drafting, and it has a pay-as-you-go entry plan if your volume is low.
Pick CallNote if you would rather your tool never handle audio at all, you work across phone, Zoom, Teams and email-in, and you want a clean file note (General, NCCP or your own template) with per-state consent scripts and a sealed audit trail. That fits financial advisers, mortgage brokers and other call-heavy professionals like buyer's agents, lawyers and accountants alike. The phone angle matters here too: with Dialpad and Aircall live and voice memo and paste, CallNote is built for phone calls, not just video meetings.
If you are weighing up US-built adviser tools as well, our CallNote vs Zocks comparison covers a no-recording option built around US adviser CRMs, and how the Australian compliance picture differs. You can also see the full comparison hub for every tool side by side, or start a free trial and run your own calls through CallNote first.
Common questions
Does CallNote record the call?
No, never. CallNote does not record audio, does not send a bot to your call, and does not transcribe. It receives a transcript that your phone system or meeting platform already produced, then generates a structured file note from it. You can paste a transcript, forward one by email, upload a voice memo, or connect Dialpad or Aircall to bring transcripts in automatically.
How is CallNote different from Claras?
The big difference is audio. Claras records or uploads your meeting, then transcribes it and writes the note. CallNote never handles audio. It turns a transcript that already exists into the note. Claras is established and adviser-specific, and its site also describes drafting SOAs, ROAs and fact finds. CallNote is multi-sector and writes file notes only. It takes transcripts from Dialpad, Aircall and Microsoft Teams and publishes the finished note to HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Clio, or to Slack, Notion and Zapier. Both are Australian-built and store data in Australia, so the choice comes down to whether you want the tool to record for you, or you would rather it never touched your audio.
Are both CallNote and Claras hosted in Australia?
Yes, both store data in Australia. Claras states your data never leaves Australia and holds SOC 2 certification with Australian Privacy Principles handling. CallNote stores your data in AWS Sydney, is AES-256 encrypted, and is never used to train AI models. One honest detail on CallNote: data is stored in Australia, but the AI step that writes the note runs through a provider outside Australia. On data storage both are strong choices compared to the many US-hosted note takers, so the rest of the decision comes down to features and fit.
Is CallNote built for financial advisers or mortgage brokers?
Both, and more. CallNote is built for Australian client-facing professionals, including financial advisers, mortgage brokers, lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers and recruiters. It ships a neutral General template as the default, an NCCP loan-suitability template for brokers built on the s130 'not unsuitable' standard, and a build-your-own option you can shape to your own file, such as an adviser SOA or fact-find structure. So advisers are a first-class fit, not an afterthought. Where Claras has an edge for advisers is that it is built only for them, drafts advice documents and records or uploads the meeting for you, whereas CallNote is deliberately transcript-only.
What does CallNote integrate with?
CallNote takes transcripts automatically from Dialpad and Aircall for phone calls and Microsoft Teams for meetings. A finished note can be published to the one CRM you connect (HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Clio), and to Slack, Notion or Zapier. Zoom and Google Meet transcripts are pasted or uploaded. There is no Xplan connection. Plenty of advisers pick CallNote because they would rather no tool touched their audio and they want a sealed, defensible note they can shape to their own file.
Can I try CallNote before paying?
Yes. CallNote offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card and unlimited notes, so you can run your own real call transcripts through it and check the output against your compliance requirements first. Solo is $149/month and Team is $99/seat/month in AUD, with cheaper annual billing. You can start the trial from the login page.